Sounds like the battery, son....

?Look, I don?t care what Brian said. There is no way he runs on high octane??

?But, but Brian?s the coach, he should know??

?Well Brian wasn?t right about big and ugly this year now was he??

?OK, alright, OK?just be careful?

My mate and I stood together in Nathan Hindmarsh?s bedroom hoping the big fella wouldn?t wake up. I just couldn?t believe that anyone would put a high performance, high-octane engine inside anyone that looked like Nathan. Not that Nathan is an unattractive man by any means but sports cars are flashy things and that?s definitely not him. Look at the package ? sway back, funny bum and a fat gut. Nope, in my mind there is nothing high-octane about Hindy. Underneath that exterior something bigger and much more powerful lurked to propel him around the field.

My mate, however, was more inclined to believe Brian Smith. Unfortunately though, especially since the end of 2001, I had started to lose faith in what Brian had to say. I knew the only way to be sure was to find out for myself. We now stood inches away from finding out the truth of what lay inside.

?Where is the release??

?I don?t know? look for it, it must be there somewhere?

?Here it is.?

?We shouldn?t be doing this.?

?Well we are? I?m sure Smithy doesn?t know what he?s on about. We just have a quick look and then we are outta here, OK??

?OK, do it then??

What was under Hindy?s bonnet? I leant forward and lifted the answer to one of the biggest questions Parramatta fans all over want to know.

?I knew it, I knew it?

?What, what is it??

?Diesel runs this unit??

?Diesel? What sort of diesel?

?Look mate, that?s Caterpillar Diesel?

Finally, I knew the truth. I?d known all along that there was no way anyone would put a high-octane motor inside someone like Hindy and here was the truth. High-octane engines are for blokes like Billy Slater, Karmichael Hunt and Matt Cooper - blokes that actually look like athletes.

This was an engine for a footballer like Hindy. This was it - a Cat C15 boasting an unmatched 625 horsepower, performance and reliability, and most of all built to last ? the ?King of the Road?. Nothing flashy, just fifteen litres of pure unadulterated muscle. So many things now all made sense.

Asleep in front of me was a bloke who each and every week had topped tackle counts and the hit ups, while still leaving enough power to make a break or finish a try. For Hindy to play like he does it was inevitable that I would find something built to last with turbochargers, high compression ratios and high cylinder pressure to produce improved performance, better throttle response and increased fuel economy.

To run a truck you needed an engine for a truck. The irony was plain to see for he had managed to carry the hopes of the Parramatta club and his teammates for much of the season. On top of all that he was proving his worth on the representative scene. He even looks like a truck driver, what with his shorts down showing plenty of crack.

?See, I told you?

?Yes, you did tell me. Gee, I?m surprised Brian was wrong?

?After the past few years, I?m not?

?Harsh??

?Harsh, yes, but unfortunately true.?

We climbed back out the window and started to walk back down the street.

?So where to next??

? PJ?s house. There?s a lot riding on that neck of his so we had better check and make sure?

?Hey, we should check on Wags too and see if we can?t do something about improving his passing?